There was just something about her, something about the way she walked, the way she'd smile and laugh at the littlest, stupidest jokes. It was the way she'd reach out and playfully slap me across the shoulder when we were out on patrol, trying to get me to stop making her laugh so much. It was the way the silence would surround us sometimes and it felt so comfortable and not at all like it used to be back before we finally worked things out and found ourselves quickly becoming the best of friends. And it was the way she'd sometimes look at me, like really look at me, that made my heart race faster than ever before that made me realize that I was falling for her. That I had already fallen for her and I couldn't stop, no matter how hard I tried.

It was the way the light of the full moon shone on her long, brown wavy hair that made her more beautiful than ever. Even more beautiful than she was in the sunlight when I could see those subtle light brown highlights that shone in her hair. It was the way she moved when she fought, the fluidness of her body, how effortless she made it all seem and the way she would smile in triumph when she won the fight every single time.

It was everything about her that I fell in love with and I hated myself for feeling that way. Besides, I'm the last person she'd ever want to be with anyway, even if she was gay—which I can say with a certain fact that she is not. So, every day I have to fight that feeling and just hold on to what I do have with her, a friendship, a bond, something that's become unbreakable over the years ands something that would kill me if I ever lost. Every day I have to wake up and see her in the kitchen, sipping her cup of coffee in her fluffy white robe and find that she's made me a cup too, just the way I like it. Every day I'm reminded that she's not just my friend, not just a fellow slayer, not just the woman I've fallen in love with, but my roommate too.

And it was nights like tonight where I couldn't shut it off, shut those feelings that thundered through me as we ran through the cemetery, chasing after a pair of newbie vamps we'd been waiting around most of the night for them to rise out of their shallow graves. I ran beside her, matching her stride for stride, barely breaking a sweat as he dodged over headstones, quickly gaining ground on the newbie vamps.

She took the dive first, tackling the bigger of the two vamps to the ground. I follow suit, but instead of diving towards the vamp, I grab him by the back of his dirty suit jacket and whip him up against the nearest tree, the branch just missing his heart as it plunges through the middle of his torso.

"And here I was looking for a good fight tonight," I laugh as I stare at the blood dripping from the sharp edge of the branch. "Think if I pull you off this thing, you'll be up for a fight?"

All I get in reply is a low growl as the vamp claws at me, but luckily for me I'm just outta his reach. I step back another step and pull out my stake. I watch the vamp as he eyes it and I meticulously run my finger over the sharp tip she'd spent hours whittling with her knife the other night. Yeah, hours. She's pretty particular about our stash of stakes, especially when it comes to the tip. The sharper the better, the narrower, the more it challenges us to get it right in the heart every single time.

"So?" I ask the vamp and he's struggling to free himself already, but without leverage, he can't quite push himself away from the tree to dislodge himself from the branch that's pierced through his chest. "I help you out and we'll dance."

"Dance?"

"Fight, dance, same old thing, you know?" I chuckle throatily, amused by the confused look on the newbie vamp's face. I can feel her eyes on me now and I know she's already taken care of the other one. "What do you say?"

"B, would you just dust him already?"

"In a minute, F," I reply, looking back over my shoulder to wink at her, watching as she does that thing where she pretends to be annoyed and all impatient like by crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow at me.

I turn around to face the newbie vamp again and laugh as I watch him continue to struggle to get himself free. It's been a while since I've fought with a newbie vamp, Faith too, but she took quick work of hers and I know she expects me to do that too. Get in, dust 'em, get out, kind of is our shared motto now. Waste no time, move on to the next.

I spin my stake in my hand and debate my choices. I can free the vamp and fight, or I could just do it the easy way and get it out of the way, free up the rest of my night, which could go one or two ways. I'll end up at some random club with Faith and we'll both head home after hours of dancing, or one or both of us will end up bring someone back home with us to continue the late night fun behind closed bedroom doors.

Yet my whole body is just craving the rush of the slay and I can't deny it. Not tonight. Not ever. Not even for her.

"Okay," I say as I grab the vamp by his shoulders and yank him free. "Let's see how well you can dance with a hole in your chest, yeah?"

Faith lets out an amused laugh and steps back as the vamp takes a swipe at me. I can tell from his staggered steps that he's not feeling so hot right now and that this fight is gonna be far too easy for me to burn off some of this built up frustration I'm feeling tonight.

I lick over my lips and grin. Easy or not, it's the rush I crave, the rush that I need. It's not much, but it's just enough to feel and that's all I ever want these days. To feel something other than the burning desire deep inside of me that wants something I can never have.

Her.

The music is pounding and I can feel the base pumping through my body as Faith leads the way through the packed club. Her fingers are intertwined with mine and I'm loving just being able to touch her, to hold her hand like this even though it's so innocent. She doesn't let go of my hand as we reach the crowded bar and instead pulls me until I'm standing right beside her. Close. Almost too close. I can feel her body heat and it makes my heart race harder. I have to inhale deeply and slowly to try to keep myself calm.

I roll my eyes the instant I see some average looking guy eyeing my girl. We haven't even been here for five minutes and already some loser is drooling over her, his eyes glued to her ass that is just looking absolutely perfect in the short black dress she chose to change into after patrol tonight. I want nothing more than to stroll over to him and smack that sly smirk off his face, but I can't. Faith isn't my girl, she's just my friend.

"What do ya want, B?" Faith asks as she leans in close to my right ear, her fingers still intertwined with mine as we're practically forced up against one another by the crowd around the bar. "You wanna start off with our usual?"

"Okay," I smile as she leans back to look at me. "That sounds…great."

Faith laughs and it practically rumbles through my body as she lets go of my hand to wave down the bartender. Someone slams into my back and I reach out for Faith to steady myself. She has one arm around my waist as she glares at the guy over my shoulder.

"You okay?" She asks as she moves her arm away from me quickly.

I nod and my tongue feels heavy and thick in my mouth as I can't stop myself from reaching out and placing my hand on her lower back as she tries to get the attention of the bartender again. I spot the guy who was checking her out before and he's still got his eyes glued to her body. I try to swallow my jealousy and my pride, but the look on his face just sparks something inside of me. I don't move my hand away from her and instead I manage to catch his leering eyes with my own, smiling ever so sweetly at him as I watch his eyes linger over Faith's body and stop short to where my hand is resting. I watch him scoff as he greedily drinks in the sight of Faith's body in her tight and very short black dress and I try again to swallow the jealousy that's leaving behind a very bitter taste in my mouth.

I slowly slide my hand lower and over the soft curve of Faith's ass, watching as the guy licks over his lips and his eyes meet my hard, cold gaze. I try not to show my surprise when I don't feel a single thing under Faith's dress that indicates she's wearing anything under it tonight and instead I lick over my lips and cast him a look that tells him to back off as I ever so slowly trail my hand over her ass and back up to the small of her back again. He flips me off, scowling as he's swallowed up by the crowd surrounding the bar.

"B?" Faith whispers into my ear as she leans into me. "What are you doing?"

"Creepy guy alert," I mutter and she laughs. It's the kind of laugh that sends shivers down my spine and I laugh too to try to cover up the fact that she has that kind of affect on me.

"Your little groping session scare him off?" Faith asks and I just nod my head. She laughs again and shakes her head. "Good, cos I was hoping it'd just be one of those girls night out nights, you know? Been a while since we just hung out at a club together, just you and me."

"Yeah, it's…been too long a while."

She doesn't hear me though since her attention is pulled towards the bar as our shots are poured and two bottles of cheap, generic beer are placed down in front of us. I reluctantly take my hand off of her as she hands me a shot glass. She doesn't say anything, she just winks as she clinks her glass against mine and downs it quickly. I try to, but it burns just as badly as the first shot of hard liquor I ever drank. It never seems to get easier, at least not with the first few. Still, I go along with her little club ritual when it comes to drinks because it means I get to spend more time with her—as if we don't already spend practically every waking moment together already.

"Ugh," I groan once I force the amber liquid down and slam my glass on the bar next to her empty one. I eye the four shot glasses still in front of us and groan again.

"You do this every time, B," Faith laughs as she hands me another. "Ya act like ya hate it, but at the end of the night, you're practically begging me to keep doing shots with you."

"What can I say, you're such a bad influence on me, Faith."

She laughs throatily and grins at me before she downs her shot and raises an eyebrow at me, urging me to follow suit. Sometimes I don't even know if she knows I'm flirting with her or if she just chooses not to acknowledge it. It kind of drives me crazy and tonight is no exception. I down the second shot and it's no easier to swallow than the first, but instead of pulling my usual face, I just smile at her and place the glass down next to the other empty ones and hold up a hand, shaking my head no as she tries to hand me the third.

"I need a breather."

"Come on, B, gotta get a little buzz going. You know you love it."

And I bet you don't know that I love you. I lick over my lips slowly before giving in and taking the third shot, handing her the glass as tears burn my eyes. She takes the glass from my hands and replaces it with a cold bottle of beer. I try not to shiver as she casually slips an arm around my waist and I can feel her hot breath against my ear.

"Come on, let's go sit down for a while, yeah?"

"Sit—sit down?"

"Yeah, grab a booth, chill a bit. Dance floor is wicked crowded right now anyway."

I look away from her quickly and divert my eyes to the very crowded dance floor. She's right. It's too crowded and with the way everything is spinning right now, sitting down for a while might be a good idea. I close my eyes for a split second, just taking in the feel of Faith so close to me with her arm around me. I can feel her body heat and it's making my skin tingle all over. I've never wanted someone as badly as I want her, especially right now. I swallow it all down though and force a smile onto my face as I turn to look over at her again.

"Lead the way," I say just loud enough for her to hear and she nods and her arm is gone from around my waist and her hand instantly finds my free one. I give her hand a gentle squeeze before I intertwine our fingers together and follow her lead through the crowd.

I know how lucky we got when we find an empty booth in a dark corner, the furthest away from the bar and majority of the crowd. She slips in first, pulling me down to sit next to her and she lets go of my hand only to casually drape her arm over the back of the booth behind me. I try to not think about how much I just want to lean in and kiss her, to know what it's like to have those full lips against mine, to touch her and to know her touch, to feel her fully against me, to know what it's like to fuck her, to make love to her all night long.

I don't know what's gotten into me, especially tonight. Usually I can shut off the feelings I have for her and hide the fact that I'm so impossibly attracted to her that it drives me crazy that I can't have her all to myself. But, tonight is different and I can't exactly figure out why yet. Maybe it's the attentive way she's been with me ever since we entered the club or maybe it's something else completely.

I close my eyes when I feel the tips of her fingers brush over the back of my neck and they find their way to the loose pieces of hair that have fallen from my ponytail. I can't hide the shiver that runs through my body at her subtle touch and it doesn't stop her from touching me either. I swallow hard as I feel her move to sit closer to me, close, but not quite against me. She's staring at me, I know she is without even having to open my eyes and look at her and I realize what an idiot I must look like sitting here with my eyes closed, all tense like.

"You okay?" She whispers against my ear and I nod my head quickly. Too quickly. She laughs softly and trails her fingers over the nape of my neck. "Are you sure? You're feeling wicked tense tonight, B."

"Must've been that—that vamp," I stammer as I force myself to look at her. I lean back away from her because we're so close that if I just lean forwards a little bit, I could kiss her. And that would be bad. So bad. "It wasn't much of a fight."

"You're feeling all pent up and looking for a way to just, ungh," Faith grunts and I swallow again, smiling a little uneasily as I nod my head. It only makes her laugh and it turns me on even more. "You re-thinking the girls night only thing?"

"Are you?"

"Nah," she says with a shake of her head. "Ain't nothing we can't work out with a few hours of dancing and a couple more drinks."

"Right."

"You know, before I carry your drunk ass home and put ya to bed," she chuckles and I roll my eyes. It wouldn't be the first time, as embarrassed as I am to admit. "Drink up, B," she says as she indicates my otherwise untouched beer I'm clutching with both hands. "We'll hit the dance floor soon as we polish off our beers, yeah?"

I nod and hesitantly sip my beer. It's bitter but cold and it distracts me for just a few seconds from Faith and the way her fingers are still brushing lightly over the nape of my neck like it's no big deal. I try to finish the beer at the rate Faith finishes hers, but no matter how many years we've been doing this for, I'm still not a drinker. With half my bottle empty, I frown and hand it to Faith, unable to finish the rest. She just shrugs and chugs the rest of my beer before she nudges me out of the booth.

I feel a little unsteady on my feet as we make our way out to the dance floor and unlike what we usually do, we avoid getting right in the middle and stay off to the side where it's less crowded. Faith is instantly lost in the music and I try to match her moves with moves of my own, but my eyes are locked on her body and I'm starting to wonder why she wore that dress if she already planned on not picking up any guys tonight. Not that I'm complaining, it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense, that's all. Why would she wear that just to hang out with me?

Not to mention the fact that after my little groping session earlier, why isn't she wearing any panties?

I suddenly feel so very hot and it's not because it's warm inside the club either. It's her. It's all her. I swallow hard again and my mouth is suddenly so very dry as I watch Faith move to the beat of the music with a smile on her face, the one that tells me she's fully enjoying herself right now. As she raises her hands up to run her fingers through her hair, my eyes are drawn to her breasts that look like they could spill out from her dress if she moves an inch more. I flush as she opens her eyes and I know she's caught me staring at her breasts.

"Dance with me, B," she laughs as she grabs both my hands and pulls me in close to her. "You remember this song?"

"Huh?"

Faith just raises our hands over our heads as I find myself getting lost in the music with her, my body moving in time with hers. "High school? Back before things went sour," she says as she moves closer to me, one hand moving to the small of my back. "Ya ran off to Angel and left me in the middle of a swarm of sweaty, groping college guys?"

Now I remember. I nod my head a little and she laughs as she pulls me almost flush against her, moving my hips with hers. She places my arm around her shoulder loosely and her other hand falls upon my waist. This is all sorts of new. I mean, not the dancing together thing, we do that all the time, but the fact that we're dancing so close, almost intimately and borderline dirty dancing together that is the new thing.

"Ya ever wonder how it would've ended that night if Soul Boy didn't come crashing the party?"

"Sometimes."

"We were just kids then, B," she says as she moves her lips to my right ear and I swear I just felt them brush against my skin. "Stupid, horny kids, you know? At least I was."

"Uh huh."

"I almost kissed you that night. Crazy, huh?"

That makes me pull back and I laugh in disbelief. And I feel a little bit disappointed too that it never happened, even then. "Oh yeah? When?"

Faith just laughs and keeps dancing, only her eyes are locked with mine and I can't seem to force myself to look away from her this time. After a few seconds, she pulls me in closer to her until our bodies are flush against one another and we both all but stop moving, just barely. My eyes trail down to her full lips, watching as she licks her bottom lip slowly and I feel my breath quicken and the desire, the need to kiss her is almost too much to resist.

"It was right about now," she says quietly, almost too quietly that I can't hear her over the pounding music.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

I nod my head and place both my hands on the back of her head, my fingers threading through her soft, thick hair. "Kiss me."

"Kiss you? B, I—"

I can't fight it anymore. I just can't. It takes every bit of courage that I have to surge forward and capture her lips with mine in a hard kiss. She's tense, unmoving and I pull away quickly, realizing that I just made a big mistake.

"Oh god, I'm sorry," I say quickly, but she doesn't let me back away from her, her hold on my hips tightening as I try to back away. "Faith, I—I'm sorry. I just—I'm sorry."

I twist out of her grip and make my way through the crowded dance floor, tears stinging my eyes as I avoid bumping into anyone too hard, too fast. I find myself in line for the bathroom, which thankfully isn't long at all. My heart is racing, my palms are sweaty and my eyes are still stinging with hot, unshed tears. I wrap my arms around my body and I feel so guilty and so ashamed of myself. What was I thinking? I kissed her. I kissed Faith. My best friend. My roommate. My coworker. My…everything and possibly nothing after tonight and the way I'd stupidly kissed her even though she brought it up first!

The line to the bathroom, despite being short, is moving too slowly and all I want to do is let go of the tears I'm fighting in the privacy of a stall where nobody could see me losing myself completely.

Leaving might be a better idea, but Faith has the keys to our apartment tonight and I can't remember the number she checked our coats under in the coatroom when we first got here for the life of me.

"Bad breakup?" The girl in front of me asks and I shake my head no as I wipe at my eyes as the first of the tears fall despite it all. "Some guy turned you down? That's rough, girl. His loss, you know?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Did you get ditched?" Her friend asks me and I roll my eyes, suddenly wishing I'd chosen some other place to run off to other than the bathroom. "You totally did, didn't you? Why don't you join us? Kelly here is kind of celebrating her first night of freedom."

"I am not!"

"Either way, join us? I'm Ella and this is Kelly, our friends are out there waiting for us. We'd love for you to join us. We can drink until we forget the assholes who fucked us over and dance the night away. How about it?"

"I—I'm fine, thanks," I say as I shake my head and wipe away my tears again. "Some other time."

"Whatever, girl. You look like you need to have some fun tonight. Your loss."

"Buffy?"

I tense as I hear her voice and I don't turn around. The girls in front of me turn back around and I inhale sharply as I feel her coming closer.

"Buffy?" Faith asks again and I flinch at the soft touch of her hand on my shoulder. "B? What's up? You okay?"

"I'm fine," I choke out as I fight back the tears.

"Why'd ya run off like that?"

I don't say anything as I avoid looking at her completely. I step forward with the line and she moves to stand in front of me, forcing me to look at her. My eyes are brimming with tears, tears I can't hold off for much longer and the last thing I want to do is lose it in front of her. Yet I can't look away again when she places a hand gently on my cheek and wipes away a stray tear with her thumb.

"B? Buffy?" Faith looks so desperate as she places her other hand on my hip. "Talk to me?"

"About what?" I ask, my voice cracking as I look away from her. She doesn't move her hand away from my cheek and she forces me to look at her again. "Faith, I—"

"Why'd you run off like that, B?" She asks again. "Was it that bad?"

"What?"

"Kissing me," she whispers as she steps closer to me. "Was it that bad for you?"

I can't help but laugh. She really had no idea, does she? Kissing her was everything. Kissing her made me feel everything I'd been waiting for a long time to feel again. Kissing her just changed absolutely everything between us and she has no idea just how much it did…

She shakes her head and grabs my hand as she turns around and pulls me towards the front of the line. She ignores the protests of the women waiting in line. "It's an emergency, ladies," she informs the line as the door to the bathroom opens and she holds it open for me. "I'm sure you guys understand, yeah?"

"She totally got ditched," Ella says loudly from the middle of the line.

"Oh, really?"

"That's too bad."

"Who would ditch someone like her? Especially with a body like that?"

"Whoever he is, is a fool, that's for sure."

"You're better than him, girl!"

I rush into the bathroom, red-faced and pull Faith in behind me. Of course the sanctuary of a stall is nowhere to be found as it's a single bathroom and I tense when I hear Faith slide the lock on the door into place.

"If anyone got ditched, it was me," Faith says as I let go of her hand and back away from her. "Why?"

"I—"

"We had a moment out there, Buffy, and then you just run off on me," she says and she shakes her head as she steps away from the door. "Gonna help me understand why or do I gotta figure it out for myself?"

I swallow hard as I turn my back to her and turn the tap on and lean over the sink. I just stare at the water before I let it run over my fingertips. It takes me a few moments to bring myself to look at myself in the mirror and the sight I'm greeted by is rather…pathetic. My makeup is running and tears stain my cheeks. My eyes are red and puffy and god, I'm so embarrassed right now that she's seeing me like this. And she's seen me at my worst before, but it's never been because of her.

I turn off the water and I inhale sharply as I feel her hands slip over my waist as she steps up behind me. Slowly I turn around and lean back up against the sink, not letting my eyes meet hers. Not yet. My hands are trembling as I just revel in the feeling of her hands on me, touching me the way she is, softly yet insistently. How many times have I fantasized her touching me like this and more? I can't even count how many times it's been over the years and even if I could come up with a number, it'd forever be changing.

"Buffy, look at me," she insists softly and I can't help but comply and I look at her with tear-filled eyes. "Hey," she smiles and she steps in closer to me until our bodies are flush. "What is going on with you tonight, B?"

"I—I don't know."

My heart is racing as I watch her lick over her lips as she moves her hands from my hips and moves them up my sides and back down again. I let out a shuddered, trembling breath as she moves in closer to me, her lips so close to mine she's almost kissing me.

"I think you do know," she says, her warm breath spilling over mine heavily. "Why?"

"Why, what?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

And then she kisses me. It's soft, so soft that I'm not even sure she even really kissed me until she pulls away and licks over her lips slowly, a sly grin forming over her lips as she struggles to keep a hold of the heady gaze we're currently locked in. My hands are shaking as I lift them from my sides and run them up her bare arms slowly and I swear I feel her tremble under my fingertips.

God, I want her. All of her. Every day, every night. I want more than the friendship we have now, I want it all with her. Right now all I want is everything and I know I can't. Not with her. Not now, not tonight. Maybe not ever.

I try to swallow the lump in my throat and fight back the tears that spring to my eyes and I fail. I shake my head as I close my eyes, feeling the hot tears roll down my cheeks slowly. And my breath hitches sharply in my chest when I feel her lips on my cheeks, gently kissing away the tears as they fall.

"Look at me," she whispers and my lips tremble as I force my eyes open and blink through the tears as I look at her. "Buffy?"

"I—I can't," I say as I look away from her again, but she doesn't let my gaze stray for very long. "Faith, please. Don't."

"Don't what, B?" Faith asks and her lips are on mine, kissing me again just as softly as before. "Don't kiss you?"

I can't stop myself this time from kissing her back. It's just all too much. The feel of her lips against mine sparks something inside of me that I can't run away from. Not this time. I'm lost in her, completely and my whole body is reacting to her touch, to her kiss, to the way her tongue slides past my lips to mingle and dance with my own.

"Don't what?" She whispers against my lips, both of us gasping for breath. "Don't want you like you want me?"

"Faith…"

I hold her gaze for a moment, trying to read her, trying to figure out what she's feeling, what she's thinking. I watch her as she clenches her jaw before she leans back in and captures my lips with hers again, this time it's not soft and slow, but hard and fast. Intense. Needy, almost desperate. I feel a rush of pleasure flood through my body as I arch into her and her hands move from my hips, roaming over my body, grasping at every inch that she can reach.

I can't hold back the moan that escapes past my lips as she moves her lips to my neck and sucks over my pulse point. Her hands are touching me everywhere and yet not where I want her to touch me the most. I move a hand from around her neck and trail it down her left arm before grasping her hand with mine and moving it to my stomach, gradually inching her palm up my torso slowly, inch by inch, showing her where I need her to be touching me, where I want her to be touching me.

"B?" Faith gasps against my neck. "Maybe we should—"

"Slow down?" I try not to laugh and I can't help it. "We passed slow a few minutes ago, don't you think?"

I feel her smile against my skin before she leans back and looks at me. "Maybe," she smirks and she looks down at her hand that's so close to reaching the small curve of my breast. She rubs her hand against my upper abdomen and leans in to kiss me again as I push her hand the rest of the way. "B?"

"Hmm?"

Her eyes search mine—almost desperately—for a moment before she shakes her head, her palm not moving from my right breast, her thumb gently rubbing over a hardening nipple through the soft material of the similar black dress I'm wearing tonight. A dress I let her pick out. A dress I'd hoped would have a similar effect on her as hers did on me. A desperate notion at the time, I'm sure, but from the look in her eyes as she backs away a little and lets her eyes drink in my body, it's sure taken the desired effect, that I'm now so sure of just by the way she's looking at me right now.

Does she even know what she does to me? Does she even know just how much I've been wanting this, wanting her? I feel this intoxicating buzz flowing through my body and I know it's not from the shots we did before. It's because of her. All because of her and only her.

I watch her bite her lower lip again and I fight from closing my eyes. Her touching me is sending me spiraling. Fast.

"Touch me," she whispers, her lips almost against mine as her fingers roll my hardening nipple through the material of my dress. "I need—want you to touch me, Buffy."

"W—where?"

"Everywhere," she whispers right before she kisses me again.

I almost forget we're in a bathroom inside a busy club as I sweep my hands down her back and grab her ass, hard, causing her hips to surge against mine. I'm kissing her back just as desperately as she's kissing me and I can't get enough of her. I pant hard as she pulls back from my lips, her hand sliding down from my breast, down over my stomach and between my legs.

"Fuck," she groans as she leans her forehead against mine. "Is this for real, B?"

I nod my head, gasping as she slips her hand under my dress and rubs me over the thong I'm wearing. Our eyes are locked as she slips her fingers under the edge of my panties and I moan as her fingers touch me fully, teasing over my throbbing clit and I'm already on edge just from one touch from her.

"I want—I need you to—"

"And I will," she whispers against my lips, her fingers just teasing me, just barely dipping inside me as a loud knock sounds on the door. "Later," she groans as she pulls her hand away and I bite my lip, a strangled moan barely escaping past my lips in protest as she moves away from me.

Her hands suddenly cup my face and she's kissing me again, deep and slow. I'm left spinning when she pulls apart and smooths down my dress for me, smiling as she does so. The knocking on the door becomes more insistent, but she just kisses me one more time before bringing her left hand to her lips and she slowly, sensually licks her fingers, moaning as she does.

Fuck.

I grip on to the edge of the sink as I watch her and I bite my lip before I reach out for her and pull her in for another kiss. It's short-lived as a louder, harder knock comes on the door and the voice of a gruff male yells at us to open up.

"How about this, B?" Faith says as she takes my hand in hers. "We go dance for a while and then we'll go home, yeah?"

"I—"

"And then tomorrow," she continues as she reaches for the lock and pauses, "we'll talk. Okay?"

I nod my head slowly. "Okay," I say, smiling as she pulls me in for a quick, short little kiss that leaves me just as breathless as the others. "Let's go dance and then we'll…go home."

Faith nods and reaches out and swipes her thumb over the cover of my lips. "Harlot really isn't your color, B."

I chuckle softly as she slides the lock back and opens the door. I let her pull me through the crowd of angry, impatient women waiting for the bathroom and focus just solely on her as she leads the way out onto the crowded dance floor.

Her arms are instantly around me as soon as she's found our spot, our place on the dance floor and my arms are instantly around her too. She holds me close as we move slowly to the fast rhythm of the song thumping loudly through the club. Everything right now feels so surreal. It feels like it isn't happening even though it is. What happened tonight? What changed? As far as I knew before tonight, Faith only swung one way and that was of the male variety. After all, of all the "conquests" she's brought home since we've lived together has always been men…I never once had a single clue she'd even remotely be interested.

In the six years that Faith and I have been friends and nearly inseparable, I always thought I could read her like a book and let me tell you, this is one plot twist I never saw coming. Not in a million years, or at least not in this lifetime.

We live together, work together, slay together, party together, we spend Sunday's in our pajama's watching old movies together and pigging out on junk food shamelessly, and not once before tonight I saw this coming.

I can't keep myself from smiling like some lovesick fool and she just smiles back, laughing as she rests her forehead against mine and smooths her hands over my hips, grasping at me as she pulls me impossibly closer to her.

"So, this is new."

"Way new."

"This okay with you, B?" She asks and I nod my head without hesitation. God, do I look desperate much? She just laughs and wraps her arms around me. She presses her lips to my ear and whispers, "if you want to stop, just say the word and I'll stop."

"I don't want you to stop," I reply, a soft whisper in her ear that even over the pounding music I know she hears. "Not ever."

Faith pulls away before I can kiss her and she scans her eyes over the crowd before she reaches for my hand and pulls me across the dance floor and towards the coat room near the front of the club. She pulls her ticket out from inside her bra and winks at me as she hands it over to the flustered teenage attendant who can't seem to take his eyes off of us.

"Sometime now, man," she says to him, waving him off as her arm finds her way securely around my waist.

I lean into her as I slip my arm around her waist and I can't help but smile to myself. I feel her laugh against me and I look up at her, an eyebrow raised.

"You're cute, B."

"I am?"

"Yeah," she smiles at me and delivers a sweet kiss just as the coat room attendant comes back with our jackets. Faith whips out her wallet and slides out her credit card, handing it to the attendant to take to cover our tab and while he processes the card, she helps me with my jacket before slipping her own on and taking back her card. "Let's motor, babe."

Her hand easily finds its way back to mine and she leads the way out of the club and out onto the street. It's still fairly early and the lineup to get into the club is still half a block long. Faith waves goodbye to the bouncer at the door before leading the way down the street in the direction of our apartment, which is thankfully only a few short blocks away.

"So," Faith says as she turns to face me, walking backwards as she takes both my hands in hers. "Tonight has been nothing short of surprising, B."

"Has it?"

"Don't play coy with me."

"Okay. It's been nothing short of surprising."

"You know," she says as she gives me a playful roll of her eyes. "You never answered my question."

"Which one?"

"Why'd you kiss me?"

"You never asked me that."

"No? I—"

"Because I wanted to," I cut her off and she laughs in the way that makes my whole body respond to her, fully and completely. "I just wanted to. Can we leave it at that?"

"Buffy—"

"I thought we weren't going to talk until tomorrow, Faith?"

Faith just laughs as she stops and pulls me flush against her. "And what about tonight?"

"We just…go with it," I say and I spot two vamps preying on us from the alleyway not too far from where we've stopped. "You know, until after we've dealt with them."

"Huh?"

"I hope you're packing, Faith," I say as I turn to face the two vamps as they rush towards us. "Because this jacket? So not flattering to be packing weapons not to mention doesn't even have the room for a stake or two to be stashed with the total lack of pockets."

"Jesus…" Faith groans and she pulls me back as she hands me a stake. "Let's deal with this quick, yeah, B?"

"Counting on it, F."

"Ungh," Faith groans as I shove her up against the door to our apartment, unable to hold myself back from touching her, kissing her much longer. "Fuck. B, just let me—open—"

I cut her off with another hard, passionate kiss as I pin her up against the door. I'm not holding back, I'm through with holding back, especially after chasing down those two vamps that put up a fight neither of us expected. I palm her breasts roughly, feeling her hard nipples through her dress against my palms and I kiss her harder, nearly biting her lower lip as she grips my hips and spins me around, slamming me hard against the door.

Her hands slide under my dress, her nails dragging against the backs of my thighs as we kiss hungrily, deeply, passionately. I run my hands over her body and fumble inside her jacket pocket until I grasp the keys and I pull them out. She smiles against my lips, dragging her nails against my skin slowly before she pushes herself back and grabs the keys from my hands. I exhale sharply, watching her as she fumbles with the keys, finding the right one eventually.

As soon as the door is open, I grab her and kiss her again, completely submerged in her as I pull her into our apartment. I hear her drop the keys on the table beside the door before she kicks it shut behind her and we're fumbling against the darkness, hands grasping at each other's clothes as I lead the way backwards through the living room to her bedroom. When I run my hand over her left side, she winces and I pull back as I feel the torn material of her dress and the warm, sticky blood beneath my fingertips.

"Those damn vamps, B. Since when are they armed with knives?"

"Shh," I whisper as I reach out for the lamp by the couch and flip it on. "Take your jacket off."

"It's nothing."

I shake my head. "You're bleeding, Faith."

"it's nothing, B. Just a scratch."

I shake my head again and motion for her to sit on the couch. "Sit. I'll be right back."

"Buffy…"

I ignore her and make my way to the bathroom and grab the first aid kit and I'm right back at her side in a matter of seconds. Her dress is ruined. I can see that now under the soft glow of the lamp. I motion for her to stand up and she obliges, wincing slightly as she does no matter how hard she tries to hide just how much pain she's in.

"Strip."

"Not exactly how I saw this night going—well, I did, but not quite like this."

"Faith…" I groan as I roll my eyes. "Just take your dress off. I have to stitch you up."

"Don't need no stitches," she mutters yet she stands and struggles to reach for the zipper along her back. "Can you…?"

I nod and reach around, smoothing my fingers over her back until I feel the zipper and I slide it down slowly. My eyes meet hers as I step back and trail my hands up her back and to her shoulders, my fingertips slipping under the edges of the thin straps over her shoulders and slide them down slowly. My breath catches in my throat as I lower her dress slowly. Oh boy…

I step back and shrug off my jacket, letting it fall to the floor and I move forward, sliding her dress down more, revealing her full and unfortunately modestly covered breasts, inch by tantalizing inch. The gash in question is just a few inches below her breasts and I ease the blood-soaked and shredded material away as I lower her dress even more. I take my eyes off her bra-clad breasts and her hard nipples that are just temping my lips to wrap around them and I try to focus my attention on her wound.

"It's not that bad."

"A stitch or two wouldn't hurt," I say and I reach for the first aid kid and open the small white box. "Just to, you know, make sure it'll heal quickly."

"Right," Faith nods and she inhales sharply as I gently run my fingers just below the small two in gash over her ribs. She quickly rids herself of her bra like it's no big deal and she points to her wound. "Do what ya gotta do then, B."

I nod as I motion for her to lay down on the couch and I quickly prep the needle and thread. We've done this a hundred times before, but somehow, tonight, it feels different. So very different. So much more intimate. Then again, I've never stitched her up with her laying completely topless in front of me before.

"Hey," Faith says as she stops me just before I can slide the needle into her skin. "You gonna disinfect that first or what?" She asks and I just blink blankly at her. "Go grab that bottle of vodka on top of the fridge, yeah?"

I shake my head. Of course. Even though we have enough disinfectants in the first aid kid, I rush to the kitchen and grab the bottle of vodka instead. Faith immediately grabs the bottle from me and takes a few swigs while I slip on some rubber gloves I find in the kit and I take the bottle from her as she hands it over to me. I take a rather healthy swig before I get to work and once I'm done she has three perfect little stitches closing up her wound that has thankfully stopped bleeding. I cover it with a large bandage just to be safe and I can't stop myself from trailing my fingers over her stomach for a moment either.

I pull off the gloves and wipe my hands clean on the dish towel I snagged from the kitchen when I grabbed the bottle of vodka and as soon as I clear away the first aid kit, Faith is pulling me down on top of her on the couch.

"Faith…"

"You ain't gonna let some…scratch…stop us, are you?"

I close my eyes and shake my head no as she slides the zipper down on my dress slowly. I lean back as her hands slide under the hem of my dress and inches it upwards, when when I meet her eyes, they don't leave mine, but just for a moment as she pulls the dress off and tosses it to the floor beside us. I smile shyly down at her, watching her as she drinks in my nearly naked body and suddenly I'm feeling a little too naked. Vulnerable. Also terrified, did I mention that one yet? Because not only is this oh so new with Faith, I've never been with a woman before. Ever.

"Hey," she whispers as she smooths the palms of her hands over my bare thighs as she sits up slowly. "If this is too fast, just say the word and I'll slow down. Stop, even."

I shake my head no and I breathe out as I focus solely on her hands as they slide up my stomach and gently cup my breasts. Faith smiles as she leans in to kiss me. Her hands move around to my back and I laugh against her lips as she lifts me up with her as she stands up from the couch. I wrap my legs around her hips and I pull back from her lips a little as I feel her dress slip down completely. I manage to kick off my high heels as she carries me towards her room and I can't slow down my racing heart as she carries me straight over to the bed.

Oh yeah, did I mention how she's definitely not wearing any underwear? She lets me slide down her body until my feet are firmly on the floor and she steps back to step out of her boots that come almost up to her knees. As she rises, she slides her hands up her body slowly and wow, that's just…she leaves me not only speechless but breathless too. I always thought she had a great body and more so recently began to thoroughly enjoy it, but nothing could've prepared me for a moment like this, to see her fully and completely right in front of me, wanting me as much as I want her.

The only light in her room is coming from the living room, but I can see her perfectly. Every deliciously beautiful inch of her. I tremble as she wraps her arms around me and kisses me deeply. It sparks the same passion we had just outside the apartment not that long ago and I kiss her back harder, my hands grasping at her back as she spins me around and we tumble down on to the bed together.

Faith winces slightly as she shifts against me, moving to find a comfortable position on top of me. I gently run my fingers over her left side, avoiding the bandage that's covering her stitches.

"Does it still hurt?"

"I'll be okay," Faith whispers against my lips. "Don't worry about me, B."

"I can't help it."

"I know," she laughs as she smooths a few strands of my hair away from my face. "So, where were we?"

"Right about…here," I whisper before I capture her lips with mine again.

We kiss slowly, barely moving against each other as we lose ourselves in each other. My whole body is buzzing and I know it's not because of the alcohol. It's because of her. I can feel her hard nipples pressed against mine and I arch into her, needing to feel more of her. My hands are trembling as I sweep them down her back and come to a stop when I reach the soft curves of her very naked ass. Faith bites down on my lower lip as I slip a leg in between hers and my heart is racing when I feel just how wet she is as she grinds against my thigh.

Faith doesn't seem to be nearly as nervous and intimidated as I'm feeling right now. She leans up on one arm and moves her free hand down the side of my body, her fingers tugging at the waistband of my thong. I'm instantly thinking about how good her fingers had felt against me while we were inside the bathroom at the club and how much I just want her to touch me again.

I raise my thigh against her, feeling her hot, wet pussy slide across my skin. She moans as I smooth my hands against her lower back and pull her down harder against my thigh. I place my hand over hers and move it between my legs, the need to have her touching me too much to ignore.

And here I though that I'd be the one worrying that we're moving too fast, but a few times already tonight it's been Faith and it's surprised me every time she said it, every time she said that if we're moving too fast, all I have to do is say the word and she'll slow down.

Even as fast as things are moving between us, I want nothing more than this. I want her. All of her and I no longer have any doubts that even if it's just for tonight, I can have all of her and everything I'd been secretly fantasying about since I first realized I had feelings for her. My hand is trembling as I keep it firmly over hers and I pull back from her lips with a soft gasp and look into her brown eyes.

"Faith…"

"We have all night," she whispers and she smiles as she presses her fingers over my clit through the thin material of my panties. "The last thing I wanna do is rush this, B."

"I know I just—"

I gasp as she presses her fingers harder against my clit and I don't even try to hold back the pleasurable moan that escapes past my parted, kiss-swollen lips. I take my hand off of hers and bury it in her thick hair as I pull her in to kiss me again. It's not slow, it's deep and hard and it fires my whole body up as I raise my thigh against her again, feeling her hips start to move as she rubs me over my panties harder and faster.

Her lips move away from mine and down to my neck. I close my eyes and relish in the feel of her warm, wet lips against my skin. I moan as her hand moves away from between my legs and she smooths her palm up my stomach slowly and she lifts up from my thigh and moves to kneel between my spread legs. Her lips trail down slowly, moving over my collarbone as her tongue dips out to taste my skin. I don't move my hand out from being buried in her hair and I force my eyes open, watching her as she drags her tongue across my breasts slowly.

My eyes slide shut as her lips wrap around a hard nipple and I arch into her mouth and drag my short nails against her scalp. She moves unhurriedly, kissing her way across the curve of my breasts to lavish the same attention to the other. I feel her smile against my skin as she places soft kisses down my stomach slowly, pausing to dip her tongue inside my belly button before I feel her pull back away from me.

I open my eyes and look down at her, moving my hand away from her head as I lean up a little on my elbows. God, the look in her eyes right now is pure sex and while I've seen that look before, it's never been because of me and I've never been on the receiving end of that look. It's turning me on even more that the need to be touched is borderline painful.

Faith licks over her lips as she trails her fingertips over the waistband of my thong. She's teasing me and she knows exactly what it's doing to me right now, I can just tell by the look she has in her eyes as they flick over my body slowly. I bite my lower lip as her fingers hook around the waistband and slowly she begins to peel my thong down. I lift up my hips, my eyes not leaving hers as she slides them down and pulls them off, tossing them somewhere on the floor behind her.

"You're gorgeous, B," she breathes out as her fingers glide along my inner thighs and I can feel her hot breath against my pussy. "So fucking beautiful."

I lay back, unable to keep myself propped up on my elbows any longer. I just focus on her fingers as they inch their way up my thighs and the feel of her breath spilling past her full lips. I moan as her fingers finally touch me and the touch is light and tentative as she nudges at my thighs for me to spread myself wide open for her.

I have never been so submissive before in all the times I've been intimate with someone else. But Faith isn't just someone else, she's everything to me and this, right here and right now, is what will change our relationship completely. It's one thing to kiss a friend, another to be laid out and spread open so vulnerably.

From the first swipe of her tongue against my pussy, I clench my eyes tight and I see stars as my whole body is filled with a pleasurable buzz that rushes through my veins with the quickening beat of my heart. I grip at the duvet cover, balling the soft material in my hands as she spreads me open with her fingers and licks me fully again.

She moans as she slides her tongue inside of me and I can feel my pussy clenching at her tongue, drawing her in deeper. I arch my back off the bed as she wraps her lips around my clit and sucks hard as she slides a single finger inside of me. Still, she moves unhurriedly as she focuses on my clit, her finger dipping inside me fully before she slides it out just as slowly again. I moan out into the quiet of the room and bite my lower lip as I force my eyes open and I look down at her and find her looking up at me with such intensity that I nearly lose it and cum all too quickly.

She winks and closes her eyes and slips her finger out slowly and plunges her tongue inside of me. She spreads me open wider with her fingertips and I can't hold back any longer. I can feel my orgasm building and rolling through my body as the seconds pass by, seconds that feel like hours. I bury my hands in her hair as she sucks at my hole as I cum hard against her lips.

"Faith…oh god," I moan out as she doesn't let up, her tongue sliding inside of me again. My hips jerk up off the bed and she places a hand on my stomach just below my belly button to keep me from moving much at all. "Faith…"

She moans in response and slides her tongue across me fully. I gasp and clench my eyes shut tight when she licks lower, teasing my ass with the tip of her tongue. She doesn't stay there for long before her tongue is sliding deep inside of me again. This time when I cum, it catches me by surprise and Faith is just loving it, loving being between my legs and delivering this delicious torture to me just as much as I'm loving it too.

"Oh god," I gasp as she playfully bites at my inner thigh before moving up my body slowly.

"Mmm," she moans as she licks over her lips. "I could eat you all night, B."

She captures my lips with hers in a passionate kiss before I can say a word, to tell her that I want her to do just that. I am so lost in her, lost in the kiss that it completely hits me out of nowhere that I'm being a pillow queen. I pull back from her lips, on the verge of panicking, but she just smiles down at me and takes a hand in hers and places it on her stomach. Can she read my mind? She laughs and I feel her voice wash over me and it feels warm, tingly and warm and oh so good.

I move my other hand down her back, pulling her down until she straddling my thigh. She groans against my lips as I kiss her again and arch into her as she thrusts her thigh against me. I move my hand across her stomach and over the slight dip just above her hip, moaning into her mouth as we start to move against each other.

Faith pulls back from me and instantly my eyes are locked with hers. Her warm breath comes out in bursts as she gasps and moans, her hips grinding in the same rhythm as my own. She raises a hand and gently strokes her fingers across my cheek and she smiles as she leans forward and kisses my forehead lightly.

"I could fall in love with you, Buffy," she whispers and I'm flooded with so many emotions I feel like I'm on the verge of laughing and crying tears of happiness. "I can't go back to where we were before tonight. I can't. I won't."

"You won't have to, Faith, I—"

She cuts me off and kisses me hard and deep. Every inch of my body feels like it's on fire as the pleasure rumbles through me. It suddenly feels like everything just changed between us as she slows her hips almost completely and unhurriedly runs her hand down my body. As she bites my lower lip, I flip us over effortlessly and she laughs as I straddle her hips and sit back, giving myself a moment or two just to look at her, fully and completely.

I want to tell her that I'm not just falling in love with her, but that I am, but I'm not sure now, like right this second, is the best time to say those three little words that are right there on the tip of my tongue. Faith takes my hands in hers and intertwines our fingers and just from the look in her eyes, I know. She knows. I don't even need to say it. She knows.

I fall forward against her as she pulls me down and we're kissing soft and slow as our hands stay joined together. She shifts under me and spreads her legs as she lets go of my hands. She grips at my hips and she moves me slightly until I can feel her pussy against my own. This is new, definitely very new. I want to feel more of her, but at this angle, it's proving to be difficult—no matter how naturally flexible we both are. I kiss her deeply once more before leaning back. Her eyes are locked with mine as I roll my hips down and sit back.

"Fuck," Faith gasps as her fingers dig into my hips. She lifts me up a little and moves her left leg until it's over my right and I moan loudly with her as she pulls me back down against her. "Jesus, that feels good. You feel so good against me, B."

"Good is…one way to describe what I'm feeling right now."

Faith chuckles as she, even as a bottom, is in complete control right now, moving my hips in a rhythm that has us both gasping and moaning out into the room. I grab at her hands, moving with her, against her, consumed completely by her and the moment we're in. I can't take my eyes away from hers and she's staring at me with such intensity, such…love that it's almost too much to take in all at once.

I could fall in love with you…

She's already fallen, I can see it. Especially right now as she licks over her lips and squeezes my hips gently. It feels like everything is happening so fast, but when it comes to love, to accepting it and letting it in, there are no rules, there are no set timelines. And it's different for us because of how far we've come over the years, how close we've been, how inseparable we are and how well we know each other.

Faith smiles up at me, moaning as I keep moving against her. The only worry I have right now is making her feel as good as she made me feel before. I want her to cum, to find release that I know she needs right now. Even just by the way she's moving against me, it feels like she's just right on the edge and not quite there yet.

I lean forward and kiss her deeply, focusing all my attention on her completely and not at all on the nerves that are coming back up to the surface at an alarming speed. I kiss my way down to her neck, licking and nipping at the skin just below her ear as I move to lay between her legs. She sweeps her hands up my back, groaning softly as I suck on her pulse point hard enough to leave a mark over her matching bite-mark scar.

I move down her body a little, trailing feather-light kisses against her flushed skin. I close my eyes for a moment as she runs her fingers through my hair, pushing it back away from my face gently. I breathe out softly, my breath making her hard nipples grow even harder before I wrap my lips around one. Her breathy moans and sighs are turning me on and making me feel far more confident.

"B," she sighs out as she arches into my mouth as I suck harder. "Fuck."

I trail my tongue over her breasts and to her other nipple, sucking and nibbling on it as her hands grip at my hair. I can feel how wet her pussy is against my stomach and I can smell her scent lingering in the air mixed with my own. Slowly I kiss my way down her stomach, being mindful of her recent wound and trying not to think about how she got her other scar that's faded but still very visible.

I lean my head back as I settle in between her legs and watch as she spreads her legs wider for me. My heart is racing and suddenly I have no doubt that this is exactly what I want to do, where I want to be. I want her to cum, I want her to find her release and I want to be the reason for it.

I look up at her and watch her watching me. I just smile as I lean in and place a soft kiss just above her clit and watch as her eyes slide shut. She bites her lower lip and as much as I want to kiss her right now, I have other priorities for my lips and tongue. I inhale deeply, inhaling her scent and I tentatively lick her pussy, taking my first taste of her and I drink it in completely as I lick her again. Her pussy is so hot, so wet against my tongue. I lick her fully as I spread her with my fingers and her hips thrust towards my face as her hole clenches every time I swipe my tongue over it. I inhale again, catching my breath before I slide my tongue inside of her. She moans and grips at my hair a little harder as I thrust my tongue in as deep as I can.

"Fuck," she whispers, gasping as I use the pad of my thumb to circle her clit firmly. "I'm so fucking close, B. Ain't gonna take much to make me pop."

I try not to smile and I can't help it. Yet, even though I want her to cum, I could stay down here all night, learning just what pushes her buttons, what makes her squeal and cry out my name over and over again.

I thrust my tongue in quick and deep, keeping up the pace as she struggles to keep from thrashing on the bed. She lets go of my hair and I glance up her body and watch her as she pinches her nipples, her back arching as she moans loudly. I don't stop, not even when I taste her cum against my tongue. Instead, I do what she did to me and I suck at her hole, drinking her in completely and loving how she tastes and feels against me.

I slowly lean back and watch as I slick my fingers over her pussy slowly, watching how she responds to the soft, tender touch. As her body relaxes, her hands fall to her sides and she's breathing heavily with a small little grin on her face. I'm grinning too as I crawl up her body and settle on the bed next to her uninjured side. I prop my head up with one hand and just stare at her, watch her as she enjoys the pleasure that's still flowing through her body.

"Hey," I smile as I gently trace my fingers over her forehead.

"Mmm, hey," she murmurs as she opens her eyes and leans forward to kiss me gently. "So, how's this work?"

"What do you mean?"

"The pillow talk thing?"

I laugh and shake my head before I kiss her again. "Talk later. I want more."

"More?" Faith smirks and I just nod my head yes. "We got all night, B, and we have tomorrow and the day after that and—"

"I'm in love with you," I whisper and she stops. She blinks for a moment and laughs quietly as she looks at me like she doesn't believe me or something. "I've been in love with you for a while now, Faith. I couldn't stop myself from falling for you, but I was so afraid."

"Why?"

"I—I didn't want to lose what we have together, I didn't want to lose you because I thought you might've—"

"Told you that I feel the same way?"

"—freaked out about—wait, what?" I ask and I laugh in disbelief. "Are you serious right now, Faith?"

"Never been more serious about anything else in my whole life, B. In case you haven't clued in, I've been in love with you for like ever."

"Really?"

"Come on, you never once picked up on it?"

"Not once."

"Not with all the flirting and the closeness and…" She trails off as she waves an arm between us. "And the fact that there isn't one single day that goes by that we're not together?"

"Oh."

"If I didn't know for a fact that you're not a natural blonde—"

"Hey!" I laugh as I playfully pinch her nipple. "Are you seriously about to make a blonde joke?"

"Did you just pinch my tit, B?" Faith asks as she raises an eyebrow. A challenge. I know her that well. I can hide my smile and I yelp out in surprise when she pinches my nipple twice as hard. "Tit for tat, babe. Two can play this game."

I raise an eyebrow as well and reach out to pinch her again, but she's just as fast as I am and catches my hand before I even get close. Before I know it, she's on top straddling my hips and has both my hands pinned just above my head against the mattress and one hand lingering, ready to attack.

"Faith…"

"You started it, B."

"Come on…"

"You keep wriggling like that and I'll cum on you."

I bite my lower lip. I should've seen that one coming. It's Faith, after all. I wriggle a little more, just for good measure and she dips her head down quickly and kisses me deeply. I'm so lost in the kiss, lost in her that when she possessively cups my pussy, I let out a startled gasp that breaks our kiss. As she slides two fingers inside of me, our little game is no longer a game.

Faith lets go of my hands as our lips meet again in a slow kiss that leaves me in a lustful haze the moment she breaks apart and our eyes lock in an intense gaze. I know right in this moment that this is one night that will never end, not even when the sun rises.

All I know is I don't want this night to ever end. Not now that I finally have her in every way I've imagined—and more—since the day I realized I was falling in love with her…

I don't know how long I've been sleeping for. I've lost all track of time after the fourth or fifth time we made love. I nuzzle into the pillow and reach out for Faith and find the bed next to me completely empty and the sheets still warm from where she'd been sleeping next to me.

Every inch of my body is deliciously sore as I roll on to my back and stretch out languidly. I climb out of Faith's bed and make my way to the bathroom slowly, running my hands over my body as I do. Last night and early this morning was the best night of my life. Nobody has ever been able to make me feel the way that Faith did. I was fully and completely worshipped, over and over again and with the way my muscles are protesting as I walk into the bathroom, I know that I'll never have anything better than her.

I flip on the light and wince slightly as I move to stand in front of the sink. I turn on the tap and splash some cold water on my face before blindly reaching for the towel to dry myself off. As I look in the mirror at my reflection, I can see the faint outlines of her lipstick on my skin and the handful of love-bites she left on my body, love-bites that would fade within hours I'm sure.

I can still taste her on my lips, I can still smell her scent all over me and it only makes me want her again and again.

I smile at myself as I hear her footsteps approaching the bathroom and she strolls in, fully nude and wraps her arms around me as she steps up behind me. My hands cover hers as I meet her eyes in the mirror and we both smile at the same time. It feels so surreal, especially after last night.

"I made you a coffee, B."

"Thanks," I smile as I rub my hands over hers. "It's still early, isn't it?"

"If ya consider noon early then yeah."

"What? It's noon?"

"Don't freak," she whispers into my ear. "I called Giles not long ago and told him we're taking a few days off, yknow, some much needed R&R. He said he totally understands."

"You didn't…tell him why exactly?"

"Didn't ask so I didn't say much. Don't worry, B, he doesn't know we spent the whole night in bed together. Naked and sweaty and ungh."

She emphasizes that by grinding into my ass as her fingers trail down my hips and in between my legs. I can't not want her to touch me and I moan as she sucks on my neck and slips her fingers over my pussy slowly. I turn in her arms quickly and I pull her in front a deep, passionate kiss.

"So, we have a few days off?" I whisper against her lips and she smiles as she nods her head yes. "Whatever shall we do to pass the time?"

"I was thinking we could have a coffee, maybe shower together, and then crawl back into bed and get you all sweaty again."

"Faith…"

"Hmm?"

"You said last night that we'd talk today."

"What more do we need to talk about, B?"

"You know what we need to talk about, Faith."

She sighs softly and nods her head. "I know, but I'm pretty sure we made our intentions pretty damn clear last night."

"But what happens now?" I ask and she just stares into my eyes. "I mean, with us. What happens now?"

"Well, I was thinking, after we make up for all this lost time we could've been together, I'll take you out on a proper date. We'll go to that restaurant you like and afterwards, well, you know," she chuckles as she wiggles her eyebrows playfully. "So, what do you say? You wanna go out with me sometime, B?"

"Yes. Of course I do."

"And what are we gonna tell the gang?"

"How about we just have a few days to ourselves and we'll figure out what we'll tell them then?" I ask and she nods her head slowly. "They're going to completely freak out."

"Maybe," she laughs and I can tell from the way she's looking at me she knows something that I don't. I raise an eyebrow and she laughs again. "What, B? Don't tell me you have no idea that Kennedy has a longstanding bet with Xander on how long it'd take for us to get together. Or in her words, hook up and in his, have hot, naked and sweaty slayer sex."

"They have a bet? Of course they do," I laugh incredulously as I shake my head. "Please don't tell me you got in on this bet too?"

"Nah," Faith shrugs it off and I just give her a look. She rolls her eyes and laughs as she smooths her hands over my hips. "Fine, I kind of got in on this yesterday morning when they upped the ante on the bet."

"How much?"

"I don't think you—"

"How much?" I ask in all seriousness as I pointedly tap my fingers on her shoulders. "Faith, how much is this bet?"

"Two grand."

"What?"

"Two—"

"They're betting two grand on when we're going to hook up?!"

"It's a longstanding bet, B. The stakes get higher as time goes on."

"And did you win?"

"I did win and not just the money."

I laugh and I can't help but kiss her again. In all the years I've known her, I've never seen this side of her before. Not ever. She backs me up against the sink and I moan as she slips her hand between my legs. I bite down on my lower lip as she stares at me, her fingers teasing, not quite touching me.

I know from the look in her eyes that I'm not going to get to drink the coffee she made me and I know that the shower she was talking about isn't going to happen anytime soon.

And I'm completely okay with that.

Fully and completely.